| G. COLTON |
Does anybody have any experience cutting formica that they would share with me.
I am renovating a rental condo and want to use white formica as the splash guard above the kitchen cabinets. For all of the woodworking and carpentry I have done I have never tried to cut formica.
I know that you can cut and snap, saw with fine toothed blade in a circular saw and have also heard of using a spiral bit in a "roto Zip" type of tool. I am going to be cutting long strips 14" wide. Do not want to ruin any strips as this stull is relatively expensive.
Any advise will be appreciated.
G |
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| phins2rt |
quote:
Originally posted by G. COLTON
Does anybody have any experience cutting formica that they would share with me.
I am renovating a rental condo and want to use white formica as the splash guard above the kitchen cabinets. For all of the woodworking and carpentry I have done I have never tried to cut formica.
I know that you can cut and snap, saw with fine toothed blade in a circular saw and have also heard of using a spiral bit in a "roto Zip" type of tool. I am going to be cutting long strips 14" wide. Do not want to ruin any strips as this stull is relatively expensive.
Any advise will be appreciated.
G
Hey G,
One thing you may be able to do is apply the formica to the substrate and then route the edges. Maybe you are not using a substrate for the backsplash? Or you attaching right to the wall? |
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| 04mdx4sq |
| If you are not backing it, I have always had good luck with a utility knife and good straight edge. If you are backing it with a thick enough material, I always use a router. |
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| G. COLTON |
Unfortunately no backing as it is going straight to the wall. Also have to cut out for switches and outlets. It is that first cut off the 4x8 sheet that will be toughest as it is so flexible.
Thanks for the inputs.
G |
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| G. COLTON |
quote:
Originally posted by renov8r
get the expensive bit to cut formica --
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q...F-8&sa=N&tab=wf
They call that the "laminate floor bit" but it is carbide and formica is just as dense as the stuff they make Pergo out of. You can plunge the center of the outlet boxes but edges are trickier.
I have used carbide laminate blades in my table saw, but they are crazy expensive and really designed for only parallel cuts.
http://froogle.google.com/froogle_c...994543039689636
Sounds good to me. That was the direction that intuition told me go go in. It would be nice to make the big cuts on my table saw, but the one time cost of the blade would be more that the sheet of formina.
I can make a template of thin cardboard or cheap, clear plastic to locate the outlet boxes.
G |
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| KES |
I just installed laminate on a u-shaped counter. Best bet is to trim the laminate with a router after it is glued to a backing. Second best is to score with a laminate knife - $6 at Lowes. A regular utility knife is not strong enough. I did not have much luck with a jig saw. You need to support the laminate or it can tear (happened to me). If you are looking to cut 14 inch strips from an 8 foot sheet here is what I would do. On the floor, cut a 15 inch strip with a laminate knife and a straight edge (you can get an 8' straight edge at Lowes / HD for about $15 or use a 2X4). Then clamp the 15 inch strip to a piece of plywood and trim the last inch using a router and a laminate trim bit to get a clean cut.
Another thought is to glue the 15 inch laminate to 1/4 inch plywood and then trim to size. |
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| one4gatr |
quote:
Originally posted by renov8r
get the expensive bit to cut formica --
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q...F-8&sa=N&tab=wf
They call that the "laminate floor bit" but it is carbide and formica is just as dense as the stuff they make Pergo out of. You can plunge the center of the outlet boxes but edges are trickier.
I have used carbide laminate blades in my table saw, but they are crazy expensive and really designed for only parallel cuts.
http://froogle.google.com/froogle_c...994543039689636
I have owned 2 rotozips and would never recommend them to anyone. They truly are a pita to work with. Honestly I think you would be better off with a jig saw, fine blade, drill, and masking tape.
Drill your "starter" hole, tape the lines you are going to cut to keep it from chipping, and cut.
I bought the rotozip when I installed my laminate floor and used the above mentioned bit. It chipped the material like crazy and burnt up the motor in the 1st unit. The second unit didnt fare much better. I eventually ended up with the router which did a much nicer job.
Good luck let us know how your project turns out. |
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